Fire and Shadow
by Leonette
Summary: My collection of Alval/Banus oneshots, depicting the adventures of Alval Uvani and Banus Alor and, occasionally, their cat, Little Val . Alvanus. Slash.
1. 1: Mellow

A/N: I've noticed a few of these oneshot collections around so I thought I might as well do an Alvanus one. I got my prompts from http:/ community. livejournal. com /100 _prompts /692 .html (the last table on the list). I don't know if I'll do all hundred of them but, hey, it's a challenge.

**Mellow**

_Alval's going to be back soon._ Banus thought, as he scraped the last of the cat food into Little Val's bowl, _And, I must remember to buy some more cat food tomorrow. Always forgetting._ The kitchen was nice and calm. All quiet apart from the faint sounds of cooking from the pot. Banus thought cleaning was somewhat theraputic and didn't like to consider it a chore. Which was fortunate because his boyfriend wasn't the most tidy of people.

Checking the stew, he knew it was almost ready. Little Val was polishing off his meal and loving every minute, of course. He could almost whistle in the quiet of the kitchen because he felt so calm. He settled for humming instead, sitting in the living room and waiting for Alval to come home.

The usual slam of the door told Banus that Alval's day had not been of the pleasant variety. Again. However, he just closed his eyes and continued polishing his dagger, not even jumping when Alval went into full rant mode, "..._wouldn't know a good plan to kill someone if it painted itself orange and did backflips naked down the corridor, singing at the top of their voice_!"

"Don't I know it, Alval." He had to put down his dagger at that moment because Little Val came up to him at that moment, leaping his lap. The kitten had learned that anywhere near Banus was a safe place to be and so, he always leapt onto his lap whenever Alval was in a bad mood. Banus knew that it was best just to let Alval run out of steam rather than fuelling the fire,

"..._Ungolim thinking he can tell me what to do all the time. Just because he's the Night Mother's favourite. I swear that money changed hands before he became Listener. That irritating little Bosmer couldn't fight sleep! His arrows couldn't hit the side of a barn and he still boasts about how he's such a master archer_!"

Banus nodded, still idly stroking Little Val, who had curled up defensively. Noticing his distress, Banus scratched the roots of his ears which calmed the little orange cat at once, _No need to make the cat stressed. It'll just be a little longer and Alval's rant will be over_,

"_I tell you, Banus, if the Tenets didn't forbid it, one of the Speakers could have easily killed him by now. It's just maddening how someone like him could be above all of us. No, it's scandalous_!"

"Well, you can imagine the beef we're having tonight is bits of Ungolim if you like." Banus replied, with a calm smile that would scare lesser people. Alval looked around, blinking dumbly,

"_What_?"

"Yes, we're having beef stew tonight. Cooked nice and rare, just how you like it." Banus shoved Little Val off his lap and began to walk to the kitchen, serene as could be, leaving his boyfriend staring after him. As he ladled out the stew, Alval came in, staring at his humming lover in astonishment,

"Banus?" His voice was normal. Banus smiled even wider. His patience had been rewarded; Alval's voice sounded so much nicer when he was calmer,

"Yes, Alval?"

"Are you...feeling alright today?"

Banus' heart did a little backflip. It wasn't often that Alval asked him how he was feeling, "Yes. Never better."

"I can see that. But, ah...you used to hide in your room when I was in a bad mood."

"Well, I've decided to stop doing that." Banus shrugged, between mouthfuls, "It's childish, don't you think?"

"I never would have expected you to sit there and take it, though. Did you overdose on Calm spells or something?"

"No. I just decided that I've got too much on my mind and I'm making too much of my problems. So, I decided to mellow out a bit."

"Oh, right." Alval nodded. Then, he flushed, meaning that he was steeling himself to be gentle, "That's good. I did try to vent some of it out on the way here, actually. So you wouldn't get the worst of it. Seems like I shouldn't have bothered now."

"No, I appretiate it." Banus smiled, "It's good to mellow out before we come together. It makes our together time better."

"Yeah." Alval scratched the back of his neck and mumbled, "I was worrying you'd leave me if I kept trashing the place and scaring you."

As the evening went by harmoniously, Banus made a mental note to thank Lucien for directing him to those self-help books.

A/N: Short, I know. And, possibly not very good. Hey, let's call this a practise one. I'm not used to doing oneshots.


	2. 19: Helping Hand

A/N: This one'll be a million times better than the last one, I promise you! I've also decided not to do the prompts in order. It's just easier and nobody likes a predictable piece of fiction.

**Arty Thrip: **Well, Alcyfis created the pairing. I suppose it's because they're the only Dunmers in the Dark Brotherhood but I'm glad she did!

**WhyInTheWorld: **Yeah, I like my other Alvanus story better than the last chapter of this fiction too.

**Commentaholic:** I already did an Alvanus story, yes, but, hey, one is never enough!

**Helping Hand**

Banus hit the ground with a painful thump,

"Shame of my flesh!"

"Let's see how the little nancy fares in the cold!"

"Here's your stinking dress! We'd burn it if we kept it!"

_SLAM!_

Banus gazed for a while at the lovely, ruined dress beside him and sniffled. It started to rain and Banus tried to get up but slipped back down again in the watery mud. He was fully crying now. He finally managed to get himself up, covering himself in mud from his many falls, sobbing and hugging the dress to his chest. He wanted to wait on the doorstep for his parents and sibling to relent and let him back in but he feared another round of punishment and so, he did the only rational thing his eight-year-old mind could think of: he ran from the door and away from his home.

He blubbed all the way, until a voice from the alley yelled,

"_By Mephala, will you SHUT UP?_"

Banus jumped so much that he slid backwards onto his backside in the mud again. Unable to take it anymore, he pressed his fists to his face, bawling,

"_I said, SHUT UP!_" Something pulled him up by the scruff of his neck and he found himself staring at a pair of flaming red eyes set into a furiously sea-green face, "_I'm trying to get some sleep here! What's the matter? Did you ruin your little sister's dress, eh, rich boy?_"

Banus could only wail harder and do nothing as he was hastily dragged out of the street,

"Be quiet, will you? You'll wake up everyone in Bravil and I am not going to take the blame for making you upset!" The stranger's voice became a harsh whisper that at least allowed Banus to bury his face in the dress and stifle his crying somewhat, "For the love of Mephala, what the hell did you turn up that racket for?"

"M'parents..." Banus choked, "...they threw me out..."

"What?"

Banus finally got a look at the face of the person. He was a Dunmer boy like him with a sharp chin and nose and straggly brown hair. He looked about twelve and, by the look of his clothes, he was either a beggar or very poor. The sort of person his mother pointed out to him on walks with warnings to avoid them,

"Why'd they throw you out?"

Banus was almost going to start crying again but his sobs were silenced by a look from the boy. Even though he had been told not to go near them, Banus realised he was near one now and nothing was happening so, emboldened by this revelation, he said, truthfully, "Because they saw me wearing a dress."

The boy's coppery eyebrows raised in alarm, "Just because of that? And, I thought _my_ parents were touchy!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I was given the old heave ho out the door three years ago. All because I said I wished I could marry another boy. Well, it did build up until then. That was just one time too many."

"One time too many what?"

"You know," The boy waved his hand, "acting like you're not male. Thinking boys are better to marry than girls. Indulging in girlish habits." He said the last thing with an intense glare at Banus, who felt like the boy had read his mind,

"Why don't they like it?" He asked, voicing the thing that had been going through his head for months,

"Personally, I blame the Divine worship. It's those stupid priests that drill it into everyone's heads that we're Evil's bedfellows or whatever other rubbish. No good comes from listening to it." He gave Banus a sideways glance, "You said that your parents caught you wearing a dress. I suppose that's it, is it?"

"Yes." Banus' lip trembled despite himself, "Well, it wasn't just the dress. I like playing with dolls too. I used to keep them all under a floorboard and take them out at night. I don't know why I did. The first time I did, Mama told me it was wrong but it was so much fun to play with dolls. I hated toy swords and boy's clothes. I felt more comfortable in dresses."

"Hmph, well, at least you had the sense to hide it for a while. I was open about it like a fool. They kept hitting me every time I was, calling me evil and telling me that doing what I wanted to was wrong."  
"Is-is it wrong?" Banus just had to know and couldn't stop himself asking,

"Bah!" The boy spat on the ground, "Who cares about right and wrong anymore?" He paused for a moment, "You're not planning to go back home, are you?"

"Uh..." Banus wasn't quite sure what to do. He knew instinctively that he should but he was still scared of his parents,

"Don't bother. They won't accept you back no matter what you do and, even if they do, you'll be forced to act like they want you to or else you're out on your ear again. And, don't start crying again! I'm just saying it how it is! I found out that out twice!"

Banus managed to gulp down his tears before his sobs started again, "I-I'll go to m'uncle..."

"What makes you think this uncle of yours will be any different? Are you really that stupid, boy?"

Banus hung his head, making his dark, forcibly-cut hair hang limply over his face, hugging the dress to him like he would hold his dolls,

"What is your name, anyway? I don't want to keep calling you boy. It's what my father always used to call me."

"Banus Alor." He mumbled,

"Alval Uvani." After a moment of Banus staring at him in silence, he added, "That's my name."

"Oh! Ah, nice-"

"Don't say 'nice to meet you'. That's what parents tell you what to say. So, if you haven't got any place to go, come with me. There's a little cave out of town where I sleep. Nothing comes there except rats and a couple of mudcrabs."

"Okay." Banus managed his first smile of the night, hurrying to follow Alval, "Thanks."

"And, don't say please or thank you, either. Remember what I said about your parents telling you to say that?"

The velvet swished elegantly around him, the peacock blue complimenting his skin perfectly. The front hung a bit limply but that was to be expected. As Banus admired his reflection in the mirror, Alval appeared at the door. His irritated expression lightened at once as Banus turned a glowing smile on him, "I love it, Alval. It's such a pity I can't wear it in public."

"Well, such is life." Alval shrugged, "Such is rotten, narrow-minded life."

"Well, I'll live." Banus shrugged, "Oh, did you ask the Listener about my application to become a Speaker?"

"Yes. It'll take a bit of persuading but, give it time. You'll be on the Black Hand in no time."

"Great! I can't wait to get those robes."

"Robes?" He paused, halfway up the stairs to their room, "Why are you so anxious about getting robes?"

"Well..." Banus blushed, "...robes are a...kind of dress, aren't they?"

Alval rolled his eyes, "You and dresses!" before walking upstairs to wait for his lover. As he took off the dress, Banus inwardly thanked Alval again for giving him so much of a helping hand ever since he had been thrown out of his home all those years ago. He'd never say thank him out loud, of course. Even after all this time, he didn't like it one bit.

A/N: I have heard of boys who are apparently naturally effeminate so I decided to incorporate it into this oneshot. It made sense to make Banus more effeminate than Alval to me.


	3. 88: Flying

A/N: I know, this took way longer than it should've. Sorry! This is going to be more of a humourous story again. I really need to be more adventurous. But, this is AU, as you may have guessed.

**Commentaholic: **Okay. Next time, I'll put a 'X years later' when I do a time skip.

**Arty Thrip: **Thanks!

**Flying**

"Bye, Little Val!"

The cat meowed sorrowfully at the window as the car peeled out of M'raaj Dar's drive,

"Don't wave at the cat." Alval snarled, "People will think you're mad."

"They already do, Alval." Banus reminded him, serenely,

"Ugh."

"Don't worry, Al. M'raaj Dar is good with cats."

"I know that! And, don't call me Al."

_Okay, he's in a bad mood._ Banus sighed, as he turned up the radio a little bit. To be quite honest, he had expected it. A trip with the rest of the executives of the Black Hand was not Alval's idea of a good holiday. Banus was only thankful for their sakes that they allowed personal assistants to be taken along or else he might have killed the lot of them for even suggesting it.

The local drivers had long since learned to recognise Alval's car, which meant that any drive in it was a lot nicer since people would move out of the way when they saw him coming since they were so scared of his driving. Banus waved merrily at the people who shrank away from the road at the sight of the car's infamous driver, "Oh, come now, Alval. We're going on holiday. Be a little more cheerful."

"I don't like flying. And, it'll be even worse because the whole Black Hand will be there to see me make an idiot out of myself!"

"You won't make an idiot out of yourself."

How very mistaken Banus was.

After finally finding a parking place, they entered the crowded airport. Alval was already in a worse mood. He hated crowds. Banus just hoped that the Black Hand would have the good sense not to-

"_ALVAL! BANUS!_"

The both of them groaned in unison as a group of people, dressed in such a flamboyant way that even the other holiday-makers around them stared in shock and amusement, waved enthusiastically at them. Alval hid his face in his hands as Banus very reluctantly led him towards them, "Please don't tell me I'm going to be sitting next to any of them, please..." Alval moaned,

"Here they are, at last!" Ungolim appeared, wearing sunglasses larger than his face and a hat so high that would probably bash against every doorframe he went through, "Oh, stop hiding your face, Alval! We're on holiday. We're allowed to let our hair down a bit."  
"Yes, but just a bit!" The hands that moved away from his face were twitching, looking ready to seize the hat and push it into a very awkward place,

"Ah, uptight as always!" Arquen piped up, "I don't know how you put up with him, Banus."

Alval glowered furiously at her and Banus wisely chose to ignore her. Thankfully, Arquen turned back to Shaleez to gossip about their plans for what they were going to do. It was bad enough that there was a long queue for the check-in desk but it was further delayed by Lucien attempting to seduce the woman at the desk for a good ten minutes before he was dragged off by J'Ghasta.

Next, came the security checks. Banus would have given anything for Ungolim not to whisper audibly to Lucien, "Five quid says Alval gets frisked."

"You're on."

And, as luck would have it, the metal detector blared loudly and the security men advanced upon him. Banus frowned at the sound of Lucien sniggering. However, his frown turned into a smirk as he found a penny in his pocket. As he put his watch into the basket to go through the X-Ray machine, he slipped it into Lucien's pocket. As he passed through the now-silent metal detector, he joined a moody Alval,

"Cheer up. Just watch."

Alval did cheer up very quickly when the metal detector screamed as Lucien went through and a thick-muscled security man who looked as though he could very easily break Lucien's arms began feeling around for whatever caused it. Alval was made even happier when it turned out that Ungolim had accidently packed his penknife in his hand luggage instead of his suitcase. While Ungolim filled out a parcel to send said knife back, Alval was actually grinning behind his hand.

As they got into the shopping area, everyone thankfully split up. Alval and Banus hid themselves from the others in the bookshop, where they remained for the rest of the two hours they had before they could get on the plane. Soon, they were having a teasing argument over whether to get a self-help book about homosexual relationships, attracting a lot of attention from everyone else. While Banus didn't mind this, it began to wear on Alval after a while so he desisted as soon as he began to look annoyed.

Unfortunately, when they reached the gate, the others seemed to have accumulated more embarrassing clothing in the space of two hours. Belisarius was sporting a Hawaiian shirt, J'Ghasta had his fur specially shaved off his face in preparation for a future tan (now, it just made him look like something raw and unpleasant) and Arquen was sporting a different perfume on every inch of her body so all the smells combined made everyone in the vicinity stay at least three feet away from her,

"Oh, what's the point of buying the stuff when you can just use the tester on yourself in the shop?" She was crowing to Shaleez,

"It smells more like she's wearing the whole shop." Alval muttered, holding his nose,

"I feel sorry for the people who have to sit next to her."

As it turned out, it was Lucien who had to sit next to her, something that made Alval and Banus very happy. Alval said he wished they could have been sitting in a place they could watch him squirm. If it was one woman Lucien would never try to seduce or even go near, it was Arquen.

Still, this thought was not enough to keep Alval happy enough to bear getting on the plane itself. As he stepped into the narrow, seat-lined corridor, he became tense. In a fit of kindness, Banus let him have the windowseat but it did not improve his mood. Fate was good enough to the pair of them to let the rest of the Black Hand sit away from them. Banus was very glad of this. None of them needed to know about Alval's fear of flying.

As the pre-flight routine dragged by, the plane began to move and Alval began looking determinedly at the seat in front of him, his fists clenched. Banus crept his hand up and laid it upon the clenched fist. Of course, Alval would never acknowledge it and he would never thank him for it.

As the plane picked up speed, Alval gritted his teeth behind his lips. Briefly noting that the person next to them had taken sleeping pills and had already fallen asleep, Banus nuzzled into Alval's neck, who gave a little jump at the sudden contact. His silence was Banus' only invitation to continue as the roaring of the engine escalated. As the plane left the ground, Banus' hand left Alval's and rested on his other shoulder.

Alval relaxed a little as the plane began its level flight. He turned his head to the side, seeing that no one was looking at them. Banus looked up at his lover, "Just why are you scared of flying?"

"Who knows? I just am." Alval murmured, glancing out the window,

"Did I make you feel better?"

"A little."

A little. Now, that was a lot coming from Alval. Banus smiled and cuddled up closer, filling his nostrils with the scent of the cologne that only smelled good on Alval. He could feel the skin getting a little warm and knew that Alval was blushing from the attention he was receiving. Raising his head a little, Banus brushed his lips shyly against Alval's dry cheek and smirked to himself as it became very hot indeed. He was about to go further, perhaps give some attention to his lips, when Alval whispered warningly,

"Stewardess, stewardess!"

They broke apart hastily just in time for the make-up-covered stewardess to ask them if they wanted any drinks. As soon as they'd got her away, Alval murmured, "Better save that sort of thing for the hotel."

"Fine."

Though Banus spent the rest of the flight trying to convince him otherwise.

A/N: I was drawing on my personal experiences with flying while writing this. Plus, finally a little romantic scene, even if it was a only a paragraph long. I think I should set a project for myself: by the time I do all 100 prompts, I will have done a full lemon-filled sex scene!


	4. 66: July

A/N: Yeah, this prompt seemed appropriate. Not to mention, my birthday's in July so I'm glad this is one of the prompts.

**Anzu-Apricot: **LucienXMathieu? Now, there's an idea! And, yes, it is very unfortunate that there is little AlvalXBanus stuff. I'm trying to fix this situation as best as I can.

**July**

July was a very bad mother for assassins. Summer, in general, was a bad season. Not because they liked the cold and damp (the more mentally unstable did but not most of them) but because it was harder to do their jobs in the warm summer months. They had some refuge from the baking sun in their underground Sanctuaries but no one could stay there forever. And, the Night Mother was evil enough to still give them work even under such bad conditions.

At first, Banus didn't know what all the fuss was about. A contract was a contract and, if anything, it would be easier to kill someone in such heat since they couldn't be bothered to move very much. However, that was before he had to do a contract, which happened to be in Bravil, where it was uncomfortably humid even in winter. After a few minutes, he was regretting his choice of clothes. The tight black leather did nothing to keep him cool and the prospect of going through people's stuffy cellars did not appeal to him at all.

Still, as he always said, a contract was a contract, no matter how sweaty and uncomfortable he was. In fact, he was right about the assumption that the targets wouldn't be very inclined to move. His target was lying lazily in bed when he found him and barely made any noise when the killing blow was given. His elation was short-lived, however. As he sneaked back out, he began to feel light-headed. His mouth was dry and he supposed that he was dehydrated, _I should have remembered to bring a waterskin._ He thought, belatedly.

He managed to get out of Bravil but, by the time he had crossed the rope bridge, everything was starting to get darker and not because it was so late. His legs felt like they were made out of jelly and he leaned against a tree for support, trying to regain his senses,

"Oh, for Sithis' sake!" A snappish voice from his right lashed at him, making Banus glance weakly around, "Look at you. You're a mess!"

"Al-Alval." His own voice sounded shivery and far-away. He tried to move away from the tree, dimly aware that he didn't want Alval to see him like this. But that made things worse. Without anything to lean on, he ended up collapsing onto the parched grass. He vaguely heard a shout of mixed disgust and fear before his vision became completely black.

When he came to himself, he was lying in bed, still feeling weak but his mouth wasn't so dry. In fact, everything was pleasantly cool, although there was a rather dank smell hanging in the air. After opening his eyes, he realised that he was in the sleeping quarters of the Sanctuary.

The banging door made him jump and he saw Alval coming towards him with a bagfull of potions. A look of thunder was on his face. Banus decided quickly that he'd better get the first word in before Alval could go into a rage, "I'm sorry, Alval. I know I should have been better prepared for going out on the job. I'm sorry for making you carry me back to the Sanctuary."

"Tell that to your horse." Alval stated, dumping the potions on the bedside table so hard that it was a miracle they didn't break, "He was the one carrying you, not me. You're too heavy for me."

Banus was almost inclined to take offence at this statement but, then, Alval would think that was too womanish so he resisted the urge.

"Uh," Banus said, hesistantly, "why were you in Bravil?" 

"Not to pick up dehydrated blockheads. That what you want to know?"

_He really is in a bad mood today. Must be the heat._ Banus reached up and caught Alval's shoulders. With a small pull, he managed to bring the taller mer down onto the bed,

"Banus, what are you doing?" Alval scowled,

"You're sexy when you're angry." Banus stated, cheekily. He hadn't had the courage to say that for months,

"Okay, get those potions down you. You're delirious."

"No, I'm not." And, as though it proved it, Banus crashed his lips against Alval's. Although Alval was warm, he was comfortably so, unlike the balmy air of Bravil. Alval's indignant noise only encouraged him to push harder against the other's mouth. After a while, Alval finally gave in and started kissing him back. Banus obligingly opened his mouth to allow Alval's tongue to invade. The pleasant jolts that came with Alval's tongue mapping his mouth made him feel much better already.

However, Alval had to spoil the mood as always by pulling away and picking up one of the potions, "Am I going to have to force this down your throat?"

Banus pouted, "Will you give it to me mouth to mouth?"

"Ugh." Alval groaned, "Are you always this eager for intimacy when you're sick?"

"Just when I'm really hot."

"Wow." Alval muttered, as he poured the first potion into a glass, "I never thought the phrase 'in heat' would be so literal in your case."

A/N: I honestly think I'm getting more comfortable with writing about intimacy. I'm getting some good practise in.


	5. 24: Bewitching

A/N: Yeah, I know it's been quite a while since I updated. Still, this little oneshot is a bit longer and hopefully a bit better.

**Commentaholic:** Well, every chapter is a oneshot story so there's no real clear plotline.

**Anzu-Abricot:** Thanks!

**Arty-Thrip: **Yay! Another Alvanus fan!

* * *

**24 Bewitching**

_Alval_

"By Sithis, if I could do the spell, I'd scorch your arms right off!"

All Alval could do was scream insults at the Legion soldiers. Those damn wrist irons had been enchanted with a Silence spell and there was no way he could get them off. He was stuck with the sick feeling of having something heavy stuck inside him that he couldn't shift, _Those foul sacks of guar dung! When I get out of here, the first thing I'll do is blow this place to kingdom come! Ooh, and I hope Phillida happens to be sitting next to me when I do it!_

"Get in." The Imperial s'wit shoved him into the pokey cell and, before he could pick himself off the floor, the cell door was slammed behind him. Baring his teeth in a snarl, he yelled more insults through the bars at the retreating Legion soldier. It was all he could do, after all. No matter how determined he was to get out, Alval knew that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

When he became hoarse (and after the Dunmer in the neighbouring cell had yelled at him to be quiet about five times), the door opened and another Legion Soldier entered, relieving the snoozing guard (how he had managed to sleep through Alval's shouting was beyond reason). One thing that struck Alval at once was that it was a Dunmer, like himself. Unlike him, his skin colour was a deep blue. When it was in shadow, it looked indigo but, in the torchlight, it was the same colour of sapphires. After a few seconds, Alval realised he had been staring at him dumbly and quickly tore his eyes away,

"I'm your relief." His attention was quickly focused back on the boy by the sound of his voice. Gentle and smooth with not a hint of a Morrowind accent. It was quiet and yet carried through the dungeon like sweet music that usually made Alval sick,

"Huh-wha-oh, it's you." The lazy dolt stood up and began walking out, "Just sit still and, if they get too close to the bars, just give them a punch to the face. Well, if you can punch hard enough."

Alval scowled at the condescending tone of the soldier but, infuriatingly, the new soldier did not react, only resuming the guard's seat as the sound of clanking footsteps grew dimmer. From what he could see of the boy, his face was blank and seemingly unseeing. He had an almost melancholy air about him, _Can't say I blame him if I had to live around those Imperial bastards for too long,_

"Hey." Alval's hoarse voice made it sound like he still had his old Morrowind accent, "You, guard."

"You should get some sleep." The guard replied, in a dull and rehearsed kind of tone that still maintained its pleasantness, "No doubt your battle with the soldiers and your shouting has worn you out."

"It takes more than that to tire me." Alval retorted, a bit more harshly than before.

The guard said nothing. He didn't even look at Alval. Scowling in frustration, Alval moved closer to the bars and glared at him until, "I was told to hit you if you got too close to your door."

"Then, why haven't you done it?"

"I don't intend to beat prisoners."

Alval put his head to the side. Not only was the boy's appearance intriguing but his pacifist attitude, "What's your name, boy? It's strange to see a Dunmer in the Legion and you have no drop of Imperial blood, I'll swear."

There was another pause before the guard spoke, "Banus Alor. I became a soldier but two months ago."

"I see. I'm Alval Uvani, by the way." Another silence fell. The candle began to sputter as the wick grew too short to sustain the flame. Banus opened his bag and got out a new, taller candle. When that was lit, the candle shone much more brightly than its predessor and let Alval see more of the boy's face. He had a smooth, young face, as opposed to Alval's sickly-green one covered in wrinkles made by his constant anger. He could not see much of it for his helmet was too concealing.

Alval sank down onto the cold stone floor and sat with his back to the colder stone wall, watching his guard attentively without feeling at all tired. Banus too could not resist meeting Alval's eyes after a long while. His eyes shone in the light, illuminating scarlet eyes that seemed warmer than the usual Dunmer eyes,

_How strange._ Alval thought, _Everything about him attracts me to the boy._ In any normal circumstance, he would have told himself to snap out of it and get back to thinking how to get out but the reason in him was quickly being smothered the longer he sat there,

"Are you going to sit there staring at me all night?" Banus asked,

"Nothing else to do." Alval replied, "Besides, it's not often that I meet someone of my own race in prison." _And one that captures my attention like this. Just what is it about this boy that I like so much?_

"I was thinking the same thing. Tell me, what did you do to deserve being in a cell?"

Normally, Alval would despise anyone who tried to make conversation with him but now, he grasped this opportunity eagerly, "I got on the wrong side of Phillida. He caught me on the job."

"You're from the Dark Brotherhood?" Banus' voice did not contain as much contempt as he had expected from a Legion soldier, "But, I heard you were throwing fireballs all over the place."

"Yeah. Not all of us use daggers to kill. What's the matter?" He added, at the look on Banus' face,

"I was once approached by the Dark Brotherhood." His voice was smaller than usual, as though he was admitting some terrible crime,

"Were you?" Alval sat up a little straighter with interest, "Who was it?"

"Ah, Haelin. An Altmer."

"Ah, my Speaker." It made him feel strangely warm to think of the boy in his Sanctuary. Now that he thought about it, that Legion armour did not look at all good on Banus. It hung off his thin body and looked several times too big for him, "Anyway, why did he come to you?"

"I killed someone." His voice was even smaller. He sounded almost scared as he looked around to check if anyone was in earshot, "It was an accident. I thought he was a fleeing criminal and I only realised after he was dead."

"But, you got away with it?" Alval could not imagine Phillida standing for one of his own soldiers being a murderer,

"Everyone thinks it's the criminal I chased that did it. But, Phillida still suspects me."

"You would be away from him if you joined the Brotherhood." Alval pointed out. An idea had come into his head as they talked; perhaps he could persuade this boy to let him out and come back to the Dark Brotherhood with him. They could both escape together,

"But-"

"Listen, Banus." Alval leaned closer to the bars, a serious expression on his face, "I only got caught because I like to put on a bit of a show when I kill. Normally, we're able to avoid the Legion and, if someone can't, they aren't given contracts in the Imperial City."

_

* * *

_

Banus

He looked down at the prisoner curiously at these words. This had been said in a gentler voice which contrasted with the harsh, blunt tone he had been using earlier. The candlelight did not stretch far enough to let Banus see Alval but he could see his sea-green skin that reminded him of the colour the ocean turned on a sunny day in Anvil.

He thought hard about the possibility of joining the Brotherhood. He did not want to get on the wrong side of Phillida but, if what Alval said was true, he could avoid him if he wanted to. He thought that he was grateful to Phillida for giving him a job in the Legion when he had only been a street rat before but it wasn't much of a change. The soldiers were unruly and raucous. Plus, if some of them were too drunk, they would mistake him for a girl and try to...well, he didn't want to think about it but they hadn't succeeded...yet.

After a while, Banus replied, "Are the assassins unruly and do they get drunk often?"

The look on Alval's face immediately told him that they didn't before he said, "We sometimes drink to celebrate a kill but we're generally encouraged to stay sober other than that. It's never wise to go on a contract when drunk."

Banus was rather grateful that Alval did not ask the reason behind that question. So, Banus went on,

"Well, I was approached about a year ago so I suppose the Brotherhood has lost interest in me or the target's dead."

"No, I don't think so." Alval shook his head, "We leave the potential recruits with the easy contracts that are put off and left undone. I doubt the Black Hand ever loses interest in a recruit, either. When I was first contacted by my Speaker, it took me five years to do what she asked me to and here I am now."

Banus was beginning to run out of reasons to resist the Brotherhood. He would never admit it before but he found the idea of being in an assassin's guild darkly glamourous. Killing people was not as frightening as before and, if he didn't run into the Legion, he was sure he could learn how to be unseen.

He glanced around at Alval. Though he had made an uneasy decision about his future, they were still under the watchful eye of the Legion. Banus was not the best fighter (which was why he was often chosen for guard duty) but he knew that Alval could probably blow this place sky high and still have enough magicka in him to get them away. He had that impression of him when he first saw the prisoner as someone who would not give up a fight easily.

He swallowed, checking the place again. The other prisoner had been asleep for a while and the door was firmly closed. He did not want to face Adamus Phillida. Any other Legion soldier would not frighten him but Phillida...that was another story. His wizened old face was stern, his eyes hard. He scared Banus more than any assassin could. In fact, Alval looked quite comforting in comparison.

Yes, he did feel quite at ease with Alval. There was a connection between the two of them and he was glad to hear that it had been someone Alval knew who had approached him a year ago. His eyes flicked to Alval. He had those specially-enchanted wrist irons that would Silence whoever wore them. If those were removed, then maybe they would be able to escape. He could tag along and perhaps follow him to the Dark Brotherhood,

"Alval." The other mer glanced up. Banus removed his helmet and set it upon the table. This action felt like a rite of seperation from the Legion. When he would take off this heavy and too-large armour, he would be completely free of that false and horrible Legion, "If I free you, will you guide me to the Brotherhood?"

"You would go to the Brotherhood now?" His eyes widened slightly,

"Yes. It must be better than the Legion." He stood up and picked up the keys as quietly as he could. Alval stood up immediately, showing himself to be a little taller than Banus, "Listen, when I get those irons off, will you be able to get us out?"

"I'll turn everything that tries to stop us into ash."

So, with that, he slid the key into the irons and allowed them to clatter to the floor. Without them, Alval seemed to move in a more fluid and bewitching way without them. As though the small bands had been great chains that had restricted his every movement,

"That feels a lot better. Come along, Banus."

* * *

A/N: Yay, happy ending!


	6. 77: Lies

A/N: Okay, I've done a lot of humour, romance and general stuff. Now, it's time to move on to a bit of angst. Or, more specifically, insanity. This one is set sometime after Alval dies and Banus goes insane because he can't take it in. I'm rather proud of this one, actually, even though it's short.

**Arty Thrip: **Yeah, it's amazing how slash and yaoi grows on you. When I first came on the Internet, many years ago, I didn't even know homosexuality existed and, now, I am in the process of writing a full-length yaoi fanfiction as we speak!

**Anzu-Abricot: **We all love the Dark Brotherhood, don't we?

* * *

**77 Lies**

I know what they all say. I know they say that Alval is dead and that the traitor's puppet is Lachance's Silencer. I know the bit about the Silencer is true but...but...but...

IT'S NOT TRUE! I KNOW ALVAL IS ALIVE! IT'S ALL LIES, LIES, LIES! DAMNED, DAMNED, LIES!

They're all liars. Everyone in the Black Hand is a liar. Everyone in the world is a liar. It's common knowledge that every person born will lie. That's common sense. That's not insanity...not...not...

I'M NOT INSANE! I'M NOT SEEING THINGS! HE'S REALLY HERE! CAN'T YOU SEE, YOU BLIND FOOLS?

But, I don't mind. A lie means nothing if people know it's a lie. And I certainly know it's a lie so, therefore, it means nothing. Why, Alval is right here. In my bed, right next to me. In my cosy bed...cosy bed...bed...

DON'T STRAP ME THERE! THAT MAKES ALVAL ANGRY! YOU'LL HATE IT WHEN HE'S ANGRY. OH, YES. HE WON'T EVEN GIVE YOU TIME TO HATE IT! YOU'LL BE A PILE OF ASHES!

See? There's his clothes. If all his things are here, then, that means he's here. That's what people do when they're home. They put all their possessions in their room. Their clothes...clothes...clothes...

YOU GO NEAR THEM AND YOU DIE! DON'T THROW THEM OUT! THEY'RE ALVAL'S! THEY'RE ALVAL'S, I SAID!

Alval was always nice and warm to me. His fingers burned from the last fire spell he'd cast but he was so gentle to me. Only to me. The way he would whisper, "Banus," while we were making sweet love...love...love...

YOU DON'T LOVE ME! DON'T LIE! ONLY ALVAL LOVES ME, YOU HEAR? ONLY ALVAL!

But, Alval's not here right now, is he? No, I'm alone in this room that I haven't left since the lies started. Only that Silencer comes in every so often and talks to me in such a sweet way. It makes me sometimes regret that I have to shout at her. But, I have to because she just doesn't see sense otherwise. She just keeps lying to me...lying...lying...

ALVAL ISN'T DEAD, YOU LITTLE FOOL! YOU'RE LYING! AND, I'LL PROVE IT, YOU'LL SEE! YOU GET BACK HERE AND I'LL SHOW YOU!

Ah, well. Never mind. I can show her later. She'll come back again. I''d better get ready. Here's Alval's clothes again. Now, if I just put them on...there! You see. Now, I'm Alval so he's not dead and I was right all along!

KILL THE LIARS...

* * *

A/N: I hope I did Banus' insanity believeably.


End file.
